Villainous

Lockdown

[MACK]

I could really use a superhero right about now.

Clutching my jacket tighter, I trudge through the the grimy back alleys of Vertigo City. Just being down here gives me the creeps. Everyone I pass seems to give me a dirty look or yell a catcall or just creepily follow me in silence for a few city blocks. I even got some sort of mystery liquid on my favorite boots after I accidentally stepped in something dark and sticky pooled onto the pavement.

This used to be the bad part of town.

But then General Hudson ordered a lockdown of the entire city. People started rioting. There weren't enough police around. Vertigo City is in shambles.

Now this is the horrible part of town.

I really could have used a super powered escort but I made a promise I'd come alone and I'm not really in a position to piss them off. At least I have this taser I picked up at the store. It won't hold off a Super but it'll help against your regular ol' scumbag.

I get to what I think is my destination. It's just an old warehouse with no sign or any identification. The paint is peeling off the side and there's a bunch of trash piled all around. The place is gross but ultimately unremarkable. If I hadn't been given the exact coordinates I probably would have passed over it myself.

Taking a deep breath, I walk up to the door and knock twice. At first there is silence and I'm afraid this is all a big joke. But then a voice calls out from the other side.

"Name and identification?"

Are they serious?

"Why? You know it's me so why all the precautions? Do I have to do a secret knock too?" I call back.

There's more silence and someone sighs. "Yah that's her. Open the door."

Glad to know my sarcasm is a good an identification as any.

The door slides open and I march in to see a crappy table surrounded by folding chairs. There's a stack of computers in the corner that look older then me. A few police officers are milling around but the person I came to see if calmly sitting down looking through a stack of papers.

"Wow Detective, nice place you got here," I joke as I plop down in one of the chairs across from her.

She glances up at my arrival, "It's the best we could do on short notice. Is it sufficient or next time do we have to meet at a five star hotel."

Ooh Detective White can be snippy too.

"Five stars would be nice but something tells me this is a little more off-radar," I tell her, "Which is good because I'm pretty sure us even meeting is illegal."

"Legal. Illegal. Who the hell cares when the man making the laws is worse then any villain out there," Detective White says grimly without looking up.

I swing my legs around and prop my feet on the table. "I must say, you play disgruntled, bad cop very well. Throw in a plucky sidekick new to the squad and you got yourself a classic buddy cop sitcom."

I hear one of the lingering officers snort with laughter but one look from Detective White shuts him up. She finally sets down the papers and meets my eyes with her steely gaze. "Did you come here just to make jokes? Because then you can get out. I'm trying to fix things and I don't have time to amuse you."

Like always, she's all business. Fine, I can play by her rules.

"Sorry. Sarcasm is sort of my first line of defense. Things have been crappy lately so I've been snarkier than usual," I mutter. The Detective might be my last hope of finding Levi. I really shouldn't be pushing her buttons like this, "Let's get started then. Give me the low down."